Battle at the Lakes: Friday Night Standouts

<p><strong>HOPKINS, Minn. -- </strong> Breaking down the top individual standouts from Friday night’s action in the 16U Division at Hopkins High School...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1203029" first="Evan" last="Anderson"] - 2024 - SG - Wisconsin Playmakers</p> <p>Anderson had a very nice second half en route to 11 points during a win over Minnesota Chill. In a chippy game, Anderson definitely brought an edge to the floor and converted some physical baskets. Like when a defender tried to push him around, Anderson pushed back and went right to the hole with a purpose. Anderson has a surprisingly tight handle for a lanky, 6-foot-4 guard. He plays low to the ground, which gives him break-you-down ability on the ball.  He has really good feet in traffic as well, able to shake defenders with a nasty spin move. Anderson is also a sneaky athlete that will play above the rim if given room.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1142121" first="Tim" last="Franks"] - 2024 - SG - Chapman Basketball Academ<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Tim-Franks-1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1430392" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Tim-Franks-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p> <p>Franks can miss a couple in a row, but at any point in the game, he’ll heat up like a microwave. That was the case  Friday as he started slowly only until he hit four triples in the second half, finishing with 15 points.  Love the way Franks frees himself off the ball. He’ll even be used as a screen and flare guy, understanding if he can force his man to help, it’s going to get him a rhythm triple. Arguably the best catch and shoot guard in Wisconsin’s 2024 class, Franks is nearly automatic when he can step into his shot. You just can’t rush his shot or throw him off as a defender. A lanky, 6-foot-4 sophomore, think there’s more to come in his future as well once he fills into that frame, which will likely give him more confidence to play  around the rim.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1142122" first="Michael" last="McNabb"] - 2024 - G - Chapman Basketball Academy</p> <p>McNabb dominated the opener against WOTN, going for 23 points. The Grafton star made it look too easy at times. A plus finisher around the rim,  McNabb is so slithery in the paint. Defenders think they have him stopped and McNabb will hit them with a euro step and change his finish hand or sides of the rim. A combo guard with good positional size at 6-foot-4, McNabb also shoots it well from 3-point range. He’s got a slower release, but that really plays to his advantage as McNabb is very in-tune with how a defender is closing on him and will hold that release until the defender decides whether or not they’re going to fully close out or play him for the drive. McNabb also stood out defensively, especially when Chapman went zone or brought full court pressure. McNabb timed his traps well and played the passing lane, creating turnovers and run out breaks.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1145649" first="Cody" last="Schmitz"] - 2024 - SG - Wisconsin Playmakers </p> <p>Schmitz went off for 27 points in a win over Minnesota Chill.  The talented sophomore guard got  his team out of an offensive funk early by stepping up and hitting some shots. A 6-foot-4 wing, Schmitz is a big, strong athletic prospect who also has a pure shooting stroke. When he wants, Schmitz can simply rise and fire over the top.  However, Schmitz isn’t a guy that likes to settle. He’s a downhill-minded attacker. In fact, Schmitz has a lot of junkyard dog in him as well. He’s a very competitive rebounder that will stick his face in the fan and win contested 50-50 balls. Schmitz did a ton of damage in the second half on the offensive glass alone.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">[player_tooltip player_id="1145649" first="Cody" last="Schmitz"] wasn’t playing around on opening night of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PHBattleAtTheLakes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PHBattleAtTheLakes</a>.<br /> <br /> 27 points for the 2024 SG to lead <a href="https://twitter.com/WIPlaymakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WIPlaymakers</a> to a win.<a href="https://twitter.com/CodySchmitz_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CodySchmitz_</a> <a href="https://t.co/tTmVrZOC5u">pic.twitter.com/tTmVrZOC5u</a></p> — Prep Hoops Wisconsin (@PrepHoops_WI) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoops_WI/status/1522906553136861186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1255443" first="Colin" last="Wicker"] - 2024 - SF -  Team 1848</p> <p>Watch list prospect that played pretty well on Friday, Wicker’s got some nice tools. A plus-length, surprisingly bouncy prospect with a sweet shooting stroke,  Wicker hit a couple of consecutive triples to blow the game open against Iowa Barnstormers Black in the nightcap.  A lanky, 6-foot-5 swingman, Wicker can pick n’ pop or feed off dribble penetration. There’s some intriguing positional versatility potentially brewing there as well.  Probably flies under the radar at a loaded  De Pere program, but there’s definitely some stuff to work with here.</p>